


Ring

by JoAsakura



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-12
Updated: 2012-05-12
Packaged: 2017-11-05 05:02:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/402713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoAsakura/pseuds/JoAsakura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A promise made</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ring

**Author's Note:**

> oh my gosh. Asreal01 did just WONDERFUL art inspired by this. I am SO HAPPY!!! :dance: :hearts:
> 
> part 1: http://asreal01.deviantart.com/art/Inspired-by-JoAsakura-s-fic-Ring-pg-1-2-302145561?  
> part 2: http://asreal01.deviantart.com/art/Inspired-by-JoAsakura-s-fic-Ring-pg-2-2-302145992?

Scene: Standing in the gutted corpse of London, Kaidan stares up at the cold, charcoal sky and takes a deep breath.

~~

"this is a terrible idea." Kaidan fidgeted, shoving a piece of protein bar in his mouth. It tasted like seaweed and ass, but he couldn't fault Cortez. Their shuttle pilot/co-armoury officer/procurement specialist had done his level best to keep the ship stocked - and the only reliable source of energy bars balanced for the enormous caloric needs of biotics had been a shipment slated for a team of asari commandos.

he wasn't certain what Steve had traded for them (and Liara and Javik *loved* them), but he was grateful for the boost. 

He could see Shepard down a small rise of rubble, talking to James. It was quiet for the moment, the last wave of husks pushed back, and the skies above silent. Shepard's tired face brightened when he looked up, catching Kaidan's gaze.

"Hey there, Major." He said as he clambered up the rise. There was a thin coating of ash on his cheekbones, and a smear of dried blood crusted across the bridge of his nose, an artefact from their battle to the operations base. "Biotics division ready?"

Kaidan rocked on his heels. "Yup. Eager even. That's youth for you. We.. we know the score, don't we, Shep?"

They shared a rueful chuckle and Shepard fidgeted his hands, clearly wishing for pockets to shove them in. 

"We know this is goodbye." Kaidan blurted out, and immediately wished he hadn't. 

"I'm planning on making it back, Major. I'll be waiting for you, you know." Shepard said firmly, scrubbing the back of his hand over his face. It did nothing to clean the grime off, only left a grey-red streak across his pale skin.

"and I'm gonna fight like hell for the chance to hold you again, Shepard." Kaidan reached up to wipe away the filth, letting his other hand drift down to catch Shepard's narrow waist. "but.. listen.. there's things I want to say..I.."

Shepard's armoured fingers were cool against his lips. "I love you, Kaidan. I have loved you for a very long time." He said with that same shy, small smile that had crossed his lips when Kaidan had first confessed. "But, you know, you were my junior officer, and there were rules. Regulations I believed in, and then.."

"And then you were dead and... there was Horizon and.." Kaidan took another deep breath and gripped Shepard's arms. "No. Wait... Look ... I don't have a lot of regrets, but I have a few. And one of them is that I didn't do this sooner. I thought we'd have time, maybe another resupply at the citadel and I could have done this right. Nice restaurant, flowers, maybe get you in that fancy suit I saw in your closet."

"Kaidan..." He knew that look on Shepard's face. The one where he knew something important was happening and he was shifting gears fast to anticipate the next action. 

"Listen to me." Kaidan ran his hands down Shepard's armoured sides to rest at his hips. "I thought we'd have time and we don't and we're here... and.. and .. I love you too, John Shepard. You are beautiful and braver than anyone I have ever met. I love how you drool when you sleep and how you stick your tongue out of the corner of your mouth when you're working on those model ships. I.. I love how you built a vodka distillery in the Normandy's armour baffles and how you drink it at room temperature and think it's medicinal even though you know damn well that Steve uses it to clean engine parts for the shuttle."

Shepard quirked an eyebrow, but the words kept coming. "I.. love how you think varren meat is awesome because it tastes like horsemeat. Which is just weird and you.. and I love how you can go from beating the shit out of a cerberus agent or a husk in one minute and smiling like a little kid the next when you get a new fish. And I love how you have finally started eating your supplemental meals after I had Steve fill your helmet with stinky fish bars."

"Kaidan..."

"I love the way you dance like a krogan with scale itch, and you don't give a damn who sees you. And I love how you sleep standing up because you think no one notices. And I love how you haven't punched me in the face yet because this is seriously the worst proposal in the history of humanity, and I know the timing is terrible but if our time left is measured in hours or days or decades, I want to spend it at your side."

He fished in one of the pouches on his ammo belt and held up a thin gleaming band of grey metal. "Your hands.. they're smaller than mine. But I think i got the size right. John Doe Shepard, will you marry me?"

Shepard took the ring and examined it, turning it over in his fingers. 

"Where did you...?" He asked, running this thumb over the smooth metal.

"I made it. Them. I made a pair. Ok, Tali helped me. I cannibalised part of the ship, for which Joker will probably kill me. I had no idea some of the stuff you could do with an omni-tool's minifacturing mod. I mean fixing armour breaches, repairing a gun part.. but you can make all sorts of things with it and Tali talked me through it and.."

Shepard blinked at him, then very carefully handed it back. Kaidan stared at it like a cockroach. A thousand things backed up in his throat, acceptance, complaints, questions.

All of them died as soon as he saw Shepard key the releases on his armoured gauntlet and tucked it under his arm. His bright eyes flicked up and caught Kaidan's as he peeled off the underglove. Without another word, he held out his bare hand.

It was so small, nails bitten and worried, sweaty despite the suit's environmental controls. "Yes." He said very seriously. "I will marry the hell out of you, Major Alenko." His lips twitched with a tiny smile. From inside one of the nearby ruins, there was a whoop, and scattered applause rose and grew and Kaidan looked around.

"Comms were up, weren't they." He asked as James slapped him in the back hard enough to rattle his teeth.

"I tried to tell you." Shepard replied. "Now, are you gonna give me that ring back, or do I have to get rough?"

"Save the rough for the reapers, commander. Can I kiss the groom?" Kaidan shoved James away long enough to slide the ring over Shepard's finger.

"As long as you're not afraid of being seen kissing someone who dances like a krogan with scale itch." Shepard smiled. "We'll do this right when we get back. I'll even put on the suit. Promise."

"I am so holding you to that." Kaidan said against his lips. "So. Holding you."

~~

Shepard leaned back, listening to Anderson's breathing - heavy, wet and slow. Below them, earth's airspace was dotted with countless points of fire. 

Best seats in the house. 

With a pained grunt, he fished a protein bar out of one of his suit pouches and bit the wrapper off. It tasted like seaweed and ass, but he choked it back. Kaidan would grief him if he didn't take care of himself.

He brought his other hand away from the oozing wound in his side, and looked at the blood. It clung to his battered hand, but slid off the cool grey band around his ring finger. With a small smile, Shepard ran his thumb over the ring. "I'll be home soon, Kaidan." He said. "I promise."


End file.
